


August 1, 1976

by ecstruh



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Idk How long it is, LMAO, M/M, Soulmate AU, byler, it looks long, its very cute, they’re in kindergarden, very little angst, you should read it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-01
Updated: 2019-03-01
Packaged: 2019-11-07 07:42:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17956424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ecstruh/pseuds/ecstruh
Summary: That kind of au where the date you meet your soulmate is imprinted on your wrist.orThat kind of soulmate au that nobody asked for, but didn’t know they needed.





	August 1, 1976

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again, so I’m kind of getting the hand of this, fanfiction stuff, this is only my third fanwork, and feedback is appreciated. Enjoy!  
> ~Luisa

August 1, 1976.

 

That was the date imprinted on Will Byers wrist.

 

The black, minuscule date, that has been there ever since he was just born, is the date he will meet his soulmate.

Will was counting down the days (though not very well, seeing as he’s only 5) till August 1st, which was on his first day of school.

He didn’t really get the importance of having a soulmate, he didn’t really get it in general.

But something about the word, soulmate, was just enough to start his adrenaline, made something flicker a tiny cell in his mind, and made him fear for what his soulmate would be like.

Would she be pretty?

 

Would she be nice?

 

Would she like the things that I liked?

 

Meeting your soulmate at just five years old, is very rare, as the nurse said, while she inspected his wrist, squinting to focus her eyes on the tiny print. Most would say that five year olds wouldn’t even know what love meant, let alone a soulmate.

Others would say that the people who find their soulmates early are considered lucky, as they don’t have to waste and spend time, worrying about how they’ll meet the loves of their lives, anticipation settling deeper into their bones as days go by, and they still haven’t met their soulmate. It’s frustrating, of course, some people could have still not met their soulmates till they’re 60 years of age.

But Will Byers was lucky, because the date that was imprinted on his wrist, was to come in less than 2 hours. Will was still laying on his bed, eyes wide open, lost in thought about how he would treat his soulmate, how she would treat him, if they would meet at school, or after the school day was over. How old will she be? The thought crept into Will’s mind, he grimaced as he thought of a 30 year old woman coming over to him with the same date imprinted on her body.

He shook the thought away, rather, imagining her beautiful attributes, how he’ll tell his mom about her, how they’ll live together forever, happy, and in love. That’s later on though, this stuff is still new to him, this soulmate stuff.

Thoughts, and images, that he created himself, were carved into his brain, fighting off sleep, waiting till 12 am to see if anything would happen, but his eyes started to shut, like draping curtains over his eye sight, he yawned as his body shut down, now forgetting all memories of his soulmate. His mind now clouded, with the need to sleep, he rubbed his eyes, one last time, at last attempt to rub the sleep away, but his eyelids kept draping down, until his vision was consumed in total darkness.

He woke up to the hushed sound of her mothers voice, he opened his eyes to see her hovering above him, his vision still blurred with sleep.

“Sleep well, baby?” Joyce cooed.

 

“Yup, I slept great, Mom,” replied Will, bringing his hand up to his face to rub his tried filled eyes.

 

“It’s the first day of school, August 1st,” Joyce said teasingly, pointing to the wrist still hidden underneath Will’s blanket.

 

“Oh, yeah, I guess it is.” Will said, a smirk tugging at his lips, turning into a small grin.

 

“Okay, you go shower, and I’ll get your breakfast ready,” Joyce commanded, though her voice was soft and warm.

Will obliged, climbing out of bed, shoving his bed spread aside, before leading his mom outside the door and closing it. He grabbed his beige towel that was hanging on his door, his toes cramping from having to go on his tippy toes to get the fabric that was dangling from a hook on his door. Throwing the towel on his twin sized bed, he hastily gathered the nicest outfit he could find from his collection of clothes, accidentally getting his finger caught in between his drawer, making Will whimper in pain, before he collected all the the things he could muster into his puny, small arms. He barely made it to the bathroom, his plaid flannel falling out from his grasp about halfway to the bathroom, making him have to sprint back, grab the shirt, and go back to the bathroom.

He made the shower quick, excitement filling every vain in his body, shaking his nerves, and making his stomach churn, and his heart pump against his ribcage. His fingers trembling as he reached to turn off the shower head. With each minute that passed, it was one less minute till he met his soulmate, he didn’t know what time though, just what date. As he wiped the last couple water droplets from his body, and shook his auburn hair to shake out the last of the water, making his hair damp. He stepped out of the shower, his warm toes slightly curling up when they came in contact with the cold floor. He attempted to step out of the shower a second time, gently this time, and he made his way over to where he put down his clothes. He put his briefs on first, gray jeans, and a flannel shirt, that he’d only realized that he’d put on backwards when he looked in the mirror. He flipped his shirt over, and patted down his shower-fluffy hair with his hands, topping it off with a bulky jacket that used to be Jonathans. He smiled to the mirror, admiring his work, just when his mom called out from the kitchen, “Will! Are you ready? Breakfast is here!”

 

“Coming Mom!” Will yelled back.

 

He trotted back to his room, carrying the damp towel with him, trying to hang his towel back behind his door, but gave up, defeated, and ended up discarding it on his bed.

The breakfast was just like you’re typical Byers family breakfast, Will would walk through the kitchen to find his dad passed out on the couch, too dazed from a hangover to move an inch. His mom, leaning against the kitchen counter with a lit cigarette in between her lips, filling the room with an unhealthy amount of smoke. His brother, Jonathan, usually already at the kitchen table, chowing down his last bits of breakfast, a walkman in his pocket connected to the headphones on his head, bopping his head to the music blasting in his ears, drowning out any sound. Will pulled out a chair to sit down, catching the attention of his brother, who gave him a smile, Will giving one back to him. Will looked down to see a bowl of oatmeal, still a bit warm.

He ate the meal in under 5 minutes, which was a record time for Will, seeing as his tiny mouth could only fit so much food at a time. It was maybe because his mind was so clouded with thoughts of his soulmate, that he was so distracted by this soulmate stuff, that he didn’t even realize what he was doing. Soon, he was grabbing his backpack, and getting in the car with Jonathan and his mom, Jonathan in the front passenger seat, Will in the back. When they got to school, Hawkins Elementry, he realized he didn’t know anyone there, realized he didn’t know where to go. He didn’t have Jonathan because, “I’m in a different grade Will, you can’t come with me.”

So instead of trying to find any friends he clung onto his mom before the bell rang, and his mom shooed him over to classroom 4, where a lady with strawberry blond curls, and a bright smile showed up and led them into the classroom. Will stole on last glance at his mom before going through the door frame, giving her a little wave of good-bye, Joyce doing the same with a small smile and a wink.

The classroom was filled with all sorts of signs and toys, but the section that caught Will’s attention most is the one that read ‘Art’. He realized he liked the way all the colors seemed to mix well with each other, liked the way the colors smoothed out, and how the pictures looked so real. He was so intrigued that he’d hadn’t realized he had stopped walking, and a boy about his age bumped into him, Will squeaked out an apology before the boy nodded and smiled, going back to finding where they were supposed to be sitting, Will turned back, flushing with embarrassment. The date on Will’s wrist started to itch, and burn, his soul date flashing a golden light, instantly going away faster than it came back. Confused, Will turned back to see the boy, who was rubbing at his ankle, his eyebrows knitted together in bewilderment. Will took note of this, before he carried on to look for where he was sitting, until he found his name tag, and he was sitting next to a kid named Julia Charms.

The teacher introduced herself, saying her name was Mrs. Blount, going around the room, asking everyone to tell the class what their names were. When she’d pointed at Will, his cheeks tinted red, and he shifted in his seat, uncomfortable.

“M-My name’s William Byers, Will for short,” Will stuttered, still new to being at school, for he did not know any of these people.

 

“Everyone say hi to Will,” Mrs. Blount said, voice enthusiastic and warm.

 

“Hi, Will.” All his peers called out on command.

 

After a couple more “Hi”’s to other students, the teacher pointed at the boy who he’d bumped into before class had started.

“Hi, uhm. My name is Michael Wheeler, but most people call me Mike.” The boy said his voice hoarse and low, his eyes hidden in a shadow beneath his dark lush curls, cheeks even flooded with more color than Will’s had. Will caught the boys-Mike’s, eyes, giving Will that same smile he did at the beginning of the day, but this time Will gave it back.

“Hi, Mike,” The class chanted, most of his peers becoming bored of this repetitive introduction. As they got to the last person, who’s name was Jezzy Handre, the bell rung, signaling recess time. All his classmates had gotten up from their chairs, eager to let out their energy, to escape the boring torture that was school. Will slowly made his way toward the door, sunlight hitting his face, not knowing what to do. Everyone on the playground looked like they had a group of friends to play with, which didn’t make any sense because they were barely two hours into school. His eyes caught the attention of the deserted swing set, only slightly swaying with the cool breeze. Will made his way towards them, with his head down, not wanting to catch the attention of anyone who saw this as a weakness, and used this weakness as an advantage to bully. 

Will grabbed the chain of the swing, sitting on the plastic chair that attached to the chains. It made a clang sound as Will pressed his bottom on the swing, the chair drooping because of this new weight. Will only swung lightly, still keeping his head down, a little disappointed that he had nobody to talk to, no friends.

Just then, he heard footsteps approaching him, the sound of crushing wood chips getting closer and closer. Will flinched, he knew someone was gonna notice him, all alone, he knew some kids were cruel enough to victimize him, he was probably gonna end up crying, becoming embarrassed on his first day of school, when he was supposed to be finding his soulmate, when he was-

The person in front of him cleared their throat, making Will look up from the ground, to se the boy again, Mike.

Mike was twiddling with his fingers, not knowing what to do with them, he looked nervous, Will didn’t know why. His head was titled down like Will’s was, like a mirror of Will.

“Uhm, Hi. It’s me again,” Mike chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck, “You’re, Will, right?” Mike said, standing awkwardly in front of Will, “Yeah,” Will replied, flattered that this boy he barely knew, still remembered his name, making his smile.

“Well, uhm, I was wondering i-if we could be friends?” Mike asked, a hundred percent uncertainty in his voice, his cheeks, that Will noticed were starting to go from peach, fading to a pastel pink, were dotted with a generous amount of freckles, that made his face glitter. Will considered this question, of course he wanted to have friends, but what if he’s just playing a prank on him to amuse his little group of friends?Will wasn’t normally the one to trust right away, he needed to know that they actually wanted to get to know him, and become actual friends with him, like a test. Will studied Mike, scanning for any mischief hidden beneath his nervous features, his body not being able to stay still. Will felt his soul date heat up again, the itchy sensation making his arm twitch, outlining the numbers and letters in gold, gleaming light.

When Will found nothing but hope etched on Mike’s complexion, his brain wrenched up a response, “Yeah, sure,” Will responded, in the most calm tone he could manage, but how could he not stay calm? He’d just made a friend!

Mike beamed, taking the swing next to Will. Will lightened up at the fact that he wasn’t alone anymore, that he had his own friend now. His wrist throbbed even more, sending vibrations down Will’s spine, but he didn’t want to ruin the moment by crying out in pain, so he kept it inside, trying not to make his vocal chords explode. Will’s energy kicked up, making him swing high, his face not hidden beneath the shadows anymore, but his chin up, his hair flying in sync with the swing. He was now swinging in sync with Mike, laughing and smiling, the brightest smile he’s ever smiled before. The bell rang again, meaning that recess was over and it was time to line up, Will and Mike dug their shoes into the wood chips to make the swings stop swinging. They both made their way to their line, letting out their last giggles, practically skipping towards the sea of kids.

Before long, it was lunch, and Mike and Will were sitting across from each other opening their lunch boxes to reveal whatever their parents had packed for that meal, hungry and tired from the last portion of class. Mike had a peanut butterand jelly sandwich, in which Will had macaroni and cheese, leftovers from last night. Mike and Will traded some of their snacks, sharing it with one another just like any other pair of friends would. Though they were still cautious, checking to see if any supervisors were around, not wanting to get in trouble. In the middle of a conversation about their siblings, Mike asked, “So, when are you gonna meet your soulmate?”

He said it so casually, just like they would if they were talking about anything else, but it surprised Will because he hasn’t thought of his soulmate at all ever since recess. All the thoughts came flooding back into his mind, the images he’s created of her, how and what time he’ll meet her. He still hasn’t met any girls yet though, but he saw Julia, his desk partners soul date, it was on the back of her neck, though it didn’t match Will’s.

“Actually, I should be meeting them today,” Will said taking a sip of his apple juice.

“Really?! Me too!” Mike exclaimed, making Will almost snort the apple juice through his nose, making him cough, the sensation burning the back of his throat, and the tip of his nose. His wrist was practically searing with pain by now, it wasn’t even itchy anymore, it just hurt. The metallic gold still shining, tracing the silhouette, letter for letter, number by number.

Will looked down at his wrist and it was a deep shad of red, his skin irritated from the burning and itchiness.

“You mean you have this,” Will stuck out his throbbing right wrist, pulling up his sleeve to reveal the black print etched into his skin that read, August 1, 1976, “this exact date, where on your body?” Will asked questioningly.

Mike’s eyes widened, either from shock or from nervousness, he pulled up his left foot, pulling up his baggy jeans to uncover the same date that Will has been looking forward to for the past 5 years, it was imprinted on Mikes ankle, the skin blistering red and the same golden speck of light dancing around the date. Will’s jaw dropped. He didn’t know that his soulmate was going to be a boy, he didn’t even thing it was possible to have same-sex soulmates. Yet, here he was, sharing a table with his soulmate, who was a male, not female. Mike and Will stared at each other in the eyes, looks that said, “Please don’t leave. Not now.”

His mind was running a million miles a minute, examining the boy before him. He realized the boy was actually quite adorable, more adorable than anyone, or any girl he’d ever seen before. With his skeleton just visible underneath the fat of his skin. His plump, pink lips, distinct in his pastel skin tone that covered his lanky form.As Will observed before, his various faint freckles, delicate and soft, cloaking his cheekbones. His sharp chestnut irises, growing wider with each second that passed, and his mop of coal black tresses, falling over his eyes, was definitely the most prominent feature of this beautiful boy. The beautiful boy that was marked as his soulmate. Who he’d spent 5 years wondering about, he’d love to get to know his new soulmate, and wouldn’t mind spending the rest of his life with the boy who shared a part of his soul.

Will leaned in for a hug, Mike leaned in for a hug, jaw still hanging open from shock, and soon, his jaw closed, eliciting a giddy giggle from Mike. They were both smiling from ear to ear, their emotions too strong to hold back from showing any happiness. When they were hugging, Will was trying to capture every single patch of fabric that he could between his fingers. Closing up any space, their tiny forms wrapped tightly around each other, the only things that separated them now was the material of their t-shirts and jackets. Chest against chest, thigh against thigh, neck against neck, and beating heart against beating heart.

**Author's Note:**

> Comment your thoughts, or if I’ve made any errors!  
> ~Luisa


End file.
